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The Lydiate business owner told the ECHO: “This company has had my money for literally over 12 months. They’re not cheap, but they’re good seats so I knew they wouldn’t be cheap.

Little Mix (Image: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)

“My daughter got really impatient for the tickets and when I started e-mailing them they said they would be sent up to three days before the concert.

“I was in a meeting on Monday and got an automatic e-mail to say they were refunding me and that my tickets weren’t available.”

After hearing that the tickets would not be arriving, John had to break the news to his 16-year-old daughter Hannah, the biggest Little Mix fan of the group, while she was out shopping for an outfit for the concert.

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He added: “I had to phone her while she was in Liverpool shopping with her mum for her outfit for the night. She was in tears, She had to pass the phone to her mum, she was looking forward to it all year.

John Dowell with wife Joanne, and daughters Hannah, Lilly and Daisy - who were all left disappointed when Viagogo cancelled their Little Mix tickets

“The younger two are five and eight so it’s not as big as a deal for them, but Hannah absolutely loves them and she was looking forward to going with her friend.

“I can’t believe a company can have my money for 12 months and then just not deliver on the tickets. It’s immoral.

“Little Mix is bound to be full of young people and to disappoint them like this is terrible.”

Despite getting a refund, Mr Dowell claims the family is out of pocket as he had made special arrangements to miss work to take his family to the concert.

John Dowell spent £629 on Little Mix tickets for his daughters - but was told they'd been cancelled just DAYS before the concert

He added: “It’s not just the cost of the tickets, it’s the upset and disruption. I’ve had to re-arrange work meetings, I’ve had to take time off work.

“Not to mention the fact that my daughters are upset and are missing out.”

Viagogo is a ticket reselling site, which describes itself as an “online ticket marketplace that allows consumers to buy and sell tickets to sports, music, theatre and comedy events”.

Although some tickets are sold at face value, the site has been widely criticised in the press for selling tickets at inflated prices for high-profile events.

The three girls are huge Little Mix fans but have been left disappointed after Viagogo cancelled their tickets

The company’s TrustPilot.com rating is poor. 44% of reviews are excellent, 12% are great, 8% are average and 6% are poor, while 30% are rated as bad.

The ECHO made several attempts to contact Viagogo but at the time of publishing they were unavailable for comment.

Where should I buy tickets from?

The ECHO spoke to the ECHO Arena to ask about buying tickets from responsible websites.

Little Mix Glory Days at the Echo Arena

Henry Brown, head of TicketQuarter, the ticketing arm of The ACC Liverpool Group which includes Echo Arena said: “We would always advise customers to purchase tickets from the venue or from the artist’s official primary ticketing agency.

“The Echo Arena and TicketQuarter websites do not re-direct customers to any secondary ticketing sites but search engines may lead customers to these sites.

John Dowell's eldest daughter Hannah, 16, with Daisy, 8 and Lilly, 5.

“We encourage customers to join our pre-sale communications and, if a show sells out, to contact our box office regularly as well as checking social media and our website for any additional availability that may be released by the promoter prior to the event.

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“TicketQuarter and Echo Arena are members of STAR - The Society of Ticket Agents &amp; Retailers – which is the leading self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticketing industry across the UK and identifies reputable ticket outlets.

“If any customers have any doubt about the organisation they are buying tickets from then please contact our box office who will be able to advise.”